This invention pertains generally to force transducers and more particularly to a load cell in which the magnitude of a force, such as the weight of a load, is determined from the stress produced in a bending beam to which the load is applied.
Bending beam force transducers have been used widely in stress analysis and electronic weighing applications. One such device is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,951,221, issued Apr. 20, 1976 to the assignee herein.
Load cells of this type have been found to give very accurate results as long as the load is applied axially, that is parallel to and concentric with the principal axis of the transducer. Loads applied away from the axis tend to produce extraneous bending moments and stresses which result in inaccurate readings. In many applications, the platform or the load receiving member must be isolated from the load cell by pivots and bearings, flexures or other suitable means, with a flexible connection to the load cell to insure true axial loading.